by PWeekly | Dec 20, 2016
Bariatric surgery is recognized as a viable option to promote weight loss and to treat obesity-related comorbidities among the severely obese. “While bariatric surgery is increasingly being used with some success, less attention has been paid to the mental health of patients with obesity and how this may influence the outcomes of patients who undergo these types of procedures,” explains Aaron J. Dawes, MD. Studies estimate that about one in five Americans has a mental health condition, including about 8% who are depressed, and another 1% to 5% who have a binge eating disorder. Previous research has suggested that these conditions may be more common among bariatric surgery patients, but no good estimates exist to suggest how common. To address this research gap, Dr. Dawes and colleagues performed a systematic review, which was published in JAMA, to examine the prevalence of mental health conditions in patients seeking and undergoing bariatric surgery. The analysis also evaluated two important connections between surgery and mental health. First, the researchers explored if preoperative mental health conditions were associated with differences in weight loss after surgery. Second, they examined if surgery was associated with changes in the clinical course of mental health conditions. Taking a Closer Look For the study, investigators searched trusted resources for studies published between January 1988 and November 2015 using terms like bariatric and obesity as well as the names of obesity surgery procedures, psychiatric disorders, and eating disorders. After screening nearly 2,300 articles, the authors identified 68 publications that met their inclusion criteria: 59 reported on the prevalence of preoperative mental health conditions (involving 65,363 patients) and 27...
by Physicians Weekly | Aug 28, 2014
It was with great sadness that we all saw the tragic news of Robin Williams’ suicide. For years, mental health has been a taboo topic. While the passing of this great actor is horrifying, we are only aware of it because of his stardom. How many others have met a tragic fate like his, but we just do not hear about it because they are ordinary people? It affects all ages, all races, and socioeconomic statuses. It is not a phenomena located to the U.S. but all across the globe. True that many people have trouble gaining access to mental healthcare sources, often for insurance coverage reasons or lack of available providers. But more often, help isn’t pursued because of the stigma attached to mental health diagnoses. All too often patients are embarrassed to admit they have a mental health problem. Yet, diseases such as anxiety and depression are very prevalent in our society. These conditions are chronic medical problems, just like diabetes and hypertension. But patients are often made to feel that these diseases are just in their head and that they can just “get over it.” This does not just happen in our general society, but when they seek medical help as well. Patients do not understand that even physical pain can be an underlying sign of depression. And many feel that their healthcare providers brush it off as “just depression.” So, rather than face these stigmas and embarrassments, many choose to deny or hide their illnesses. They are left untreated, which allows tragedies like suicide to occur. How can mental healthcare stigmas be ended? 1. More...
